Seems So Right, Feels So Wrong
by malzi21
Summary: It's been years since Total Drama, and Duncan has buried his past behind him. But the past has a funny way of catching up. Now being faced with years of potential jail time, he is faced with a choice. Get back with his long extinguished flame to avoid prison, or make an ultimate sacrifice to stay with the one he truly loves. DxG, elements of DxC. I own nothing.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm back! And in school! I'm finally going back to the old cast. I figured it'd be nice, I've devoted so much time to the new cast I kinda forgot about this one. Season 5 can't come any sooner, huh? Ok, I'm rambling, here's the story everybody!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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One trip to the store. I go in, get some things, go out and head home. What could go wrong?

Apparently a lot.

I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start from the beginning. I'm Duncan Matthews. Yes, _that_ Duncan Matthews. Total Drama, million dollars, love triangle. That one, only four years later. If you all are gonna freak out, hound me for an autograph or something, then just get out. I'm in no mood to deal with you_. _This is not a pleasant story.

Allright, so let's begin.

It was about 10 PM, it was a Monday night, and I was exhausted. I had just gotten home because some clown at the tattoo parlor said the tat I had spent the last three hours working on sucked, and that he wouldn't pay. Naturally, I got kinda pissed. If a guy doesn't like my work then whatever, but he asked for the tat, it was my design (many of which were influenced by my extremely talented girlfriend), and no matter what he thought, he was paying up.

So we went back and forth a bit, eventually we took it outside, and I beat the shit out of him. Okay, slight exaggeration. He was a pretty good fight, a lot tougher than I expected, and he made me work for it. But I won. End of story.

Thanks to some miracle I'll never be able to explain, my face wasn't too badly scratched up. My chest and forearms took most of the beating, so I'd be able to hide it from Gwen until I thought of a decent excuse. I was toying with "some guy tried to mug me" bullshit, but come on… who mugs a guy with a green mohawk?

So I was exhausted, in a good mood because I destroyed the guy (and actually _did_ mug him in the process... Come on, he had it coming!), but I was still exhausted.

"Duncan!" My girlfriend's voice called out from the other room.

I groaned a bit. Normally I'd be fine with whatever she'd be asking, but I was so tired that I wasn't in the mood to do anything.

"What?" I answered back. I tried my best to hide my irritation, but I guess I wasn't able to conceal all of it.

"We're out of milk and cereal. Can you run down to the store and get some? We have nothing else for breakfast tomorrow.

I groaned again. "Can't I just go tomorrow? We'll get a donut or something. I'm tired."

"It'll take you five minutes. Just do it, please?"

"What's so bad about my idea?"

"Donuts are bad for you. You know that." She paused, then added seductively, "If you go, you'll be rewarded tomorrow."

Ok, now there's some incentive. That's one of things I love about Gwen. Well, not just _that_, but the fact that she was willing to compromise with me, period. I know I'm the last person in the world you'd think would say this, but communication really is key to a strong relationship. Believe me, after everything that happened with Courtney, it feels amazing to be with someone I have some common ground with.

I grabbed my keys and hopped into my car. Not just any car, my black Lamborghini. Yeah, I finally ditched my motorcycle. We had some fun times, we really did, but eventually we decided that we needed an actual car at some point. So I went out and blew half my prize money on this baby (one of the few things Gwen's ever gotten really pissed at me about.) But hey, I figured if I was gonna go out and get a car, there was no way in hell I was gonna settle down. This thing is loud and fast and it's showing off. A match made in heaven. It was a pretty good call, if I say so myself, because eventually Gwen grew to like it too. Come on, it's a fucking Lamborghini, who isn't in love with a car this cool?

I knew I was speeding once I got on the road, but I was so tired that I didn't care. Punch in, get some things, punch out. That was my entire thought process. The rest of my thoughts were just a blur.

Well, if there's one thing that can snap me out of trance like that, it's sirens. Sure enough, I looked back and saw two cop cars right behind me. So I did what any reasonable person would do in that circumstance. I floored it and hoped I'd lose them. I'm being sarcastic of course, it was an incredibly stupid move in retrospect, but I remind you. It's a fucking Lamborghini. I thought I could outdrive anything.

The car itself did its job, I was able to evade them for a good twenty minutes, but apparently they called backup, because I found myself face to face with a roadblock.

At this point, I finally slowed down and pulled over. I was not going to get my baby totaled. The cops got out of the cars behinds me… and yeah, they didn't look too happy.

A particularly angry looking one approached me first.

"Name, please?"

"Duncan Matthews." I said in a monotone. I knew this procedure all too well, the best plan of action was to just shut up.

"Do you have some identification?"

"Yes, officer." I replied in the same monotone as I handed him my license.

By now, the other officers were beside him. They were all looking at the license while stealing glances at me. One of them seemed to be studying me particularly hard. Finally, he spoke up.

"I know you…" he trailed off. He had obviously seen me on the show or the news or something, he was just trying to put his finger on it. I was starting to get nervous. If they found out who I was, they were _not_ going to go easy on me.

"I got it!" he exclaimed. "You're that punk that was on that TV show! You're the one that escaped the detention center!"

Damn it. I was exposed. Sure enough, the officers were quick to arrest me, and before I knew it, I was in a police station, and the officers were going through my records. I gulped a bit. I was extremely nervous now. If they found some other things in there…

"Mr. Matthews," one of them interrupted my thoughts. "It seems that we have a bit of a problem with your records."

Speak of the devil.

"What's that officer?" I asked, still in monotone. I could not afford to piss them off here.

"Many of your offenses were never properly addressed in court. Most of them ended in mistrials. Now that these cases have been reopened, they will need to be properly settled."

Oh shit. I did remember something about that. The show's lawyers told me that they had handled all my cases because they needed me back on the show for ratings (I know, I'm that good) but they did say that they _may_ have to be resettled. And considering the way those officers were looking at me, they were gonna be settled sooner rather than later.

I hadn't said anything in response, so the officer continued. "You will need a lawyer, and I'd recommend a good one. These cases will not be easy to settle. If the verdict isn't kind to you, I'm talking _years_ in prison for you."

Ok, now I saw Gwen's logic. I only had about fifty thousand dollars left of my winnings, and that had to be used on the house we'd just bought. I couldn't spend all my savings on a lawyer!

"I… I can't afford one!" I said exasperated. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Find a way to afford one. That, or place yourself in the hands of a public attorney. Your choice."

Yeah, even I knew that public attorneys sucked. That would just guarantee me going to prison. Man, would I have to spend all my savings on this? I couldn't afford a foreclosure.

"We'll be giving you your one phone call now." the officer said to me. "Who knows, maybe you can get your ex to defend you. Best of luck!"

He walked away with a sneer. He was clearly mocking me, but his suggestion wasn't half bad… from a financial standpoint anyway. If I could get Courtney to defend me (and if I could put up with her nagging) then I'd be off the hook! That being said, there was still the obstacle of, you know, actually getting her to defend me. This was definitely going to be the hardest step.

Another officer led me to a phone booth, and walked away to leave me in peace. At least some people in this building are decent folk. After a bit of thinking (in the process of trying to forget all things Courtney, I had actually almost forgotten her phone number) I entered the number for her PDA. She still had that stupid thing, last time I checked. I was praying she hadn't switched it out for an iPhone or something.

After three rings, she picked up. "Courtney Garcia, how may I help you?"

Despite my circumstance, it took all I had not to laugh. Still uptight as ever, she almost sounded like a secretary on the other line. Finally, I recomposed myself. "Uh… yeah, Courtney? … This is Duncan."

There was a pause for about ten seconds. I won't lie, I braced myself a little bit. I thought she was going to go on one of her infamous tirades. Or even worse, hang up.

"What do you want?" she finally spoke, venom spewing from every word. "If you're calling to take me back, then I'll have you know…"

"… It's not about that." I cut her off. Her voice had been escalating pretty quickly. She hadn't blown up just yet, but if I wasn't careful, it sounded like she would.

"I've… got myself in a bit of a mess, and… uh… you're the best lawyer I know."

Correction. The _only_ lawyer I know, but come on. I was trying to win her over here. I had to at least sell it.

"And what makes you think I'd help you?" she shot back. "After what you did to me, and everything I had to go through, you're lucky…"

It sounded like a good time to cut her off again. "Look, we've had our issues in the past… but I think this could benefit both of us."

"Really? How?" she challenged.

Oh shit. I had nothing "Uhh… think of the… exposure you'd get." I finally said in my ditch effort. "If you could get me out of this, just think of how your reputation would grow. You'd be huge!"

Another pause. If I knew Courtney (which I hoped I still did… wow, never thought I'd say that again), she was definitely considering this. I gulped again. Everything I had hung in the balance.

"I'll do it." she finally said.

A huge wave of relief surged through me. "Thank you so much, Courtney. I…"

Now it was her turn to cut me off. "…If you do one thing for me in return."

Ok, I was back to being nervous. "What's that?" I asked, afraid of the answer I might get.

"You get back together with me."

Yeah, that one.

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**Yeah... Duncan/Courtney will be the focus of the majority of this fic, just note that it will be Duncan/Gwen in the end... so no flames please. Either side. I got the idea for this story after I rewatched all the audition tapes, and I just thought, how on earth is he not back in prison, he** _**broke out**_** of the damn place! So here we are. As always, suggestions are always welcomed, and please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Wow, two posts in three days? The Mayans were right... The really scary thing is that the story was in the server and ready to go by yesterday afternoon, but thanks to the joys of AP classes and other homework I just never got around to pulishing it. Belive me, I really am scared for the world now. Ok, enough time spent contemplating the legitimacy of ever-looming ancient doomsday prophecies. Chapter 2 everybody!**

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I was frozen in shock. Courtney wanted me to do _what? _Go out with her? Geez, and I thought she hated me.

"Well…" she said impatiently. "I'm waiting."

"I… I don't… think I can do this." I stumbled over my words. "I'm still with Gwen… I can't just… leave her like that."

"Then I hope you find yourself a good lawyer, because I won't commit unless you do."

Damn. She wasn't backing down from this one. Believe me, I wanted to tell her to stick it and just hang up more than anything else, but what other choice did I have? It was either commit to Courtney for the time being or lose Gwen forever. As much as the first choice sucked, I doubt I would've been able to live with the second one.

"All right. I'll do it." I could all but see her celebrating from the other end. "What are the groundrules?"

"Did you keep your copy of the relationship contract?"

You've gotta be fucking kidding me. We're back on _that_? I burned my last copy, for crying out loud!

"No, I didn't." I replied, summoning all my willpower not to scream at her."

"Hmph. Typical." Courtney pouted. " I guess we'll have to start from square one again I'll be back tomorrow with your bail, and from there we'll work out the groundrules in our relationship. Goodnight, Dunkie!"

Great, she's back on that, too? I didn't know if she was being serious or if she was just trying to torture me. Honestly, I hoped it was the second one. At least then she'd be doing all this in a legitimate effort to punish me, not for some delusional fantasy that I'd fall for her again. I went that route once. _Worse _than torture.

"Mr. Matthews," the officer called out. "Your one phone call has been made, you will now be taken to your cell."

I put up my hands and let him cuff me once again. He wasn't rough on me, remember he was the once that actually seemed like a decent guy, but at the same time his grip made it clear that he wasn't fooling around. I don't think I'd have such a problem with the cops if they were all like this guy. Yeah, he was tough, and he made sure you knew it, but not abusive like some of the other ones were. Kicking a guy when he's down doesn't prove anything, other than the fact you're a jackass. If you abuse your power, that doesn't make you powerful at all. It just shows you're weak. It shows you're nothing without that power.

Once in my cell, I was uncuffed and showed inside. For a jail cell, it actually wasn't half bad. It wasn't cramped like most cells, the beds were actually tolerable, and the plumbing appeared to work for the most part. My cellmate was ok. He seemed to have a vendetta against everyone but me, so he left me alone for the night. The shouting matches through the wall were kind of (majorly) annoying, but again, at least it wasn't me. I counted at least three or four fight being tenatively scheduled for the next day, so I think I lucked out. One more night, I bet I'd have been on his bad side. The scary thing is, I can tell you from experience, you can be roomed with _far _worse.

I doubt you'd be able to guess this, but I didn't get much sleep that night, and Courtney decided it would be simply perfect to show up at 6 AM to bail me out. And of course, she's sipping her latte like it's nobody's business. I swear one of these days…

The cop released me from my cell and took me into a waiting room. Courtney filled out some paperwork, and next thing you know, I was a free man. Once Courtney was done, she turned to me.

"So, how was your night?"

Scratch that. How about right now?

I'd have to say the car ride back was worse than the stay in prison. (Messed up as it sounds, it was pretty interesting to gage up the potential fights going on. My cellmate seemed pretty tough, but my guess is that the dude in cell 6 would beat him. The dude ran an underground fighting ring... enough said.) Most of the ride was spent hearing Courtney bitch about the traffic and how horrible the other drivers were. I'm pretty sure she threatened to sue some of them for I don't even know what the hell the charge would be. At one point I think I mentioned that the cops would just pull them over if they were that bad, but then she went on about how they were all "incompetent" and "corrupt" and "spent all their time eating donuts." Oh, the irony.

After an eternity, we finally reached her apartment. I had to admit, it was a nice place. If anything, shed done well for herself. It was on the penthouse floor, it was pretty big in size, and I am sure she hired an interior decorator or something because it was really well furnished. (Dear God, what the fuck am I saying?)

"Ok, let's get down to business." she said as we both sat down. "I've been looking over your cases, and I'm fairly certain you can avoid jail time if we play our cards right."

"All right! That sounds awesome!" I exclaimed, nearly jumping out of my seat.

"Don't get too excited, these are still very tough cases, something a Neanderthal like you wouldn't be able to understand."

Yet another thing she's back on. Just like the good ol' days, no?

"You have a total of eight charges against you overall. You have three counts of vandalism, and two for assault. The owners of each of these have dropped the charges for cash settlements, and your speed chase last night should just be some community service and another fine. Your two main charges are breaking out of the detention center and your false blood fiasco with those kindergartners.

"Ok, to be fair, that was an awesome prank!"

"You gave them seizures, Duncan! They almost died! For that stupid prank alone, you are being faced with of assault and battery, endangerment of minors, as well as additional counts of vandalism, trespassing and other misdemeanors! We're talking potentially 20 years of prison, Duncan! All because of your stupid little prank!"

Ok, that shut me up. This was getting serious. Courtney just gave me a glare before continuing.

"The other charge is pretty straightforward. You broke out of your detention center. This one will be tough to work around, but I think I can use some clauses in the Total Drama contract to get around it."

I decided to mess with her. "Oh yeah, how you gonna do that?"

I could literally see her blood boil. "How am I gonna do that? Are you for real? After everything you did to me, I'm working my butt off just to save your lazy ass from going to prison, and you're questioning my methods of doing so? Well, if you must know, the Total Drama contract states that because of the challenges we had to perform, we the contestants were not nor would ever be held liable for any laws we broke over the course of he show. Since your audition tape was, in fact, breaking out of juvenile hall and they did decide to air it on the show, we can use that "over the duration of the show" clause so you won't be held liable."

She took a deep breath after that rant before she smirked at me in triumph. "I know, I'm good, aren't I?"

I chose to ignore that last statement. "So, what about the other one?"

"I'm still working on it. Luckily, your escape trial will be held first, so we have some time on our hands."

I nodded my head but didn't say anything. This whole thins was still surreal to me. All my past mistakes of my criminal life… caught up to me just like that. I'll admit I'm no saint, but I thought that was all behind me. I'd moved on with my life. (And I know what you're thinking, yeah, I still get into fights, but as long as you win, you own the dude. You make sure he doesn't snitch. As you can guess, I don't lose very often.)

"Now we have another matter to settle." Courtney broke the silence. "Our relationship contract."

I deadpanned. "You weren't kidding."

"I never kid!" she snapped. "This is serious!"

"Whatever you say, Princess." Hey, as long as she's making me do this, might as well truly make it like old times.

"That violates page 12 section 21 of our contract! No pet names!"

She saw my smirk and tried to recompose herself. Seriously? Swallow some pride for once, you're not fooling anyone with that bull.

"Anyway," she continued through gritted teeth. "Being the nice person I am, I took the liberty of making this contract new and improved. Since we've been separated for four years, there are several new circumstances and scenarios that the old contract couldn't cover, so I inserted some new clauses addressing those. I'd suggest reading it from cover to cover. From what you've displayed, you seem to have forgotten several of the old policies as well."

I just stared at the stack of papers in front of me. _New and improved_? I couldn't tolerate the last one! What else could she have possibly thought of?

"Oh, and one more thing," she added as she stood up." Your first trial begins tomorrow, so I'd suggest you start reading now. I'll give you a pass today, getting out of prison and all, but infractions will be enforced starting tomorrow, so get busy!"

I was beginning to reconsider the whole prison option.

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**Yeah, more D/C. Bear with me. Or celebrate. Whichever side you're affiliated with. Anyway, there's gonna be a lot of court cases, legal talk, etc. going on here, and I do have a basic knowledge of our court system and legal practices (you know, being the sue happy nation we are, cases like Casey Anthony blowing up every year) but if I'm wrong on anything, then feel free to correct me. I want this to be as accurate as possible. As always, suggestions are always welcomed, and please review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Wow... it's been a while. Nearly three months. Oh, the joys of high school. I really, sincerely hope that I didn't leave you guys hanging for too long, and I take full responsibility if I did. All the kind reviews I got last chapter make me feel all the more guilty. I hope that this chapter at least somewhat makes up for the delay. And of course, this author's note is waking you wait even longer. I'll stop talking. Chapter 3, everybody!**

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The judge's booming voice echoed throughout the room as the chatter slowly died down. The news of my arrest had picked up a lot of media attention, so there were tons of reporters at my trial. I swear I saw at least twenty cameras still flashing.

All the attention I was getting really surprised me. I thought I was washed up in their eyes. A has been. Maybe there'd be a passing mention in a few papers or something, but this? Man, just one misstep and they don't miss a beat.

Courtney (and therefore myself) had declined comment throughout all this. She had told me that she didn't want me "to say anything stupid" but I'm pretty sure she meant something else by that. Not talking to a certain someone perhaps? Not telling her that I was extremely sorry and that she was always on my mind? Not telling her how much I loved her? I could only wonder what Gwen was thinking. She'd definitely be disappointed, yeah, but what else? Would she give up on us? No doubt she'd at least be considering it. What about Courtney being my lawyer? I could never betray her, and I made sure she always knew that. I wished I could just get into contact with her, someway, somehow. But no way Courtney was gonna let that happen. All Gwen could do was just sit there and wonder. Again, I swear sometimes…

The judge began to speak again. "We are here today for the trial of Duncan Matthews on the counts of escaping his juvenile detention center. The prosecution will now make their opening remarks."

The lawyer on the opposite end of the room stood. He was a lawyer in every sense of the word. He was rocking a briefcase. His suit was so pressed I'm amazed he could even move. Hell, this guy had more product in his hair than I did! After probably a minute of opening the briefcase, searching the twenty pockets inside, straightening his papers, slicking his hair back, straightening his papers again, and of course, the throat clearing, he finally began.

"Your honor," he began. "This case against Duncan Matthews is about as clear as a case can be. There were multiple witnesses at the scene. The act was caught on tape. He explained his motives while on the tape. Furthermore, he has confirmed these motives multiple times, both on and off camera. There was even a contract, signed by Matthews, that clearly stated that he escaped from his detention center and that any further infractions of the law would send him back to that very location. Such an instance never occurred, but the contract does serve as a written confession to his offense. The evidence in place here is clear as day. Duncan Matthews broke the law and never served his full punishment. Now he will."

With that he sat down with a smug look on his face. The dude next to him (the warden, I guess) had a similar look on his face. Then again, so did Courtney. Ugh. This is why I hate the legal world. Everyone feels so entitled.

The judge recognized the opening statements and turned to Courtney. "The prosecution has made their opening remarks. It is now the defense's turn to do so. When you're ready."

Courtney put on a plastered smile. "As always, your honor."

Again. Ugh.

After the minute with the briefcase, the pockets, the papers, the hair, the papers again, and the all-important throat clearing, she began.

"We, the defense, cannot argue against the evidence that my client, Duncan Matthews, escaped from his juvenile detention center. The witnesses, the tapes, the confessions. They all serve as sufficient evidence. What we can argue, and what we will argue, are the circumstances, and how my client's situation is applicable. Had he simply broken out of the center in the face of the law, then yes, my client would be guilty. But as we'll display, the circumstances are far, far more complex than just that. Thank you."

She sat down, the judge acknowledged her remarks, and the trail got underway from there. I didn't really pay attention, because it was just Courtney and that other dude going back and forth for the most part (I did hear at least six "I objects!" from the both of them.) I was never called to the stand because the evidence against me was sufficient (no shit) and most of the trial was boiling down to the contract.

Most of the reporters had stopped flashing their cameras. They seemed bored. They were all playing with their phones or their Kindles or something. I guess this being a human interest story - yours truly being the interest - they felt no one cared enough to actually listen to the whole trial. But hey, I was fine with that. Anything to get those stupid cameras out of my face.

I'm not gonna lie, I spent most of my time thinking about Gwen. Specifically, how on earth I could get into contact with her. Courtney had hidden my cell phone (shocker) and from the looks of it she didn't have landline. The laptop was obviously off limits. Writing a letter would involve me sneaking out of the apartment to mail it, and considering the amount of times she woke up when her PDA vibrated, that was out of the equation. As was my personal favorite, seeing Gwen personally. Having a heart to heart talk with her. Telling her just how very sorry I was…

I was finally brought back to reality by the sound of cameras flashing. Looking up, it seemed to be around four or five (again, I had no means of telling the time.) Someone who looked like a witness or an expert was just exiting the stand, and the judge looked ready to speak. After a few bangs of the hammer for good measure, he addressed the room.

"The matter has been discussed at length, and the jury feels they have heard enough to make a decision. After your closing remarks, they will go the back room and decide the final verdict. We will start with the prosecution."

The lawyer stood up. He seemed much less confident than before. He almost seemed afraid. Courtney was shooting daggers at the guy from across the room. Despite the fact he was prosecuting against me, I felt kinda bad for the dude. Courtney probably tore the poor guy up.

Once again, he went through the while routine before finally beginning his closing remarks.

"Your Honor, for all intents and purpose, the issue here is whether Mr. Matthews' audition tape can be considered as a part of the Total Drama series and thus his actions exempted from the full punishment of law. Yes, the tape did air as a part of a recap episode. But the tape itself was not a part of the show's production. You must factor the thousands of audition tapes that were sent in for people who didn't make the cut. Those were of their own production, not the shows. The tape is that of Duncan Matthews and Duncan Matthews alone. His actions took place outside of the protection of the Total Drama series, and therefore, he must be held accountable and punished accordingly. Thank you."

He sat down, still looking a bit nervous. Courtney looked like she was exercising all the restraint she had.

"And now, for the defense's final remarks." the judge said, motioning to Courtney. "When you're ready."

I don't think I have to tell you that, once again, she did the whole routine.

"Your Honor, it has been discussed at length that as part of the process of being accepted to Total Drama Island was subjugating their tape into the production team's hands. They countered that since Mr. Matthews made the entire tape himself that the point is irrelevant, but we have clearly shown that it is not. The tape was made specifically for the purpose that he get on the Total Drama series, so it is implied that any tape made for such a circumstance has its rights turned over to the series, especially when considering he never officially claimed the tape to be his own. It is clear the artistic license of the production team overrides any initial ownership - which I reiterate was never official - of said tape. Any laws Mr. Matthews may have broken are protected by the show's rights, and therefore my client must be exonerated. Thank you."

She concluded with a smug look on her face, and then took a seat next to me.

"I know you were at least somewhat impressed by that." she whispered in my ear.

"I wasn't paying attention to most of it," I retorted. "All I picked up were a lot of big words."

"Ugh! You're a Neanderthal!"

"Who you can't seem to get over."

The judge interrupted our little exchange. "Both sides have made their closing remarks. The jury will now step outside and come to a verdict."

I don't know how long the jury was out there, but it didn't seem like very long. The room was silent except for the sounds of, you guessed it, cameras flashing. God, they wouldn't shut up! How many pictures do you need of the same damn thing? I got in a bit of trouble, so what? Everyone had probably found out on the Internet anyway.

The jury stepped back into the room, and they sent a middle-aged balding man to read off the verdict.

"We, the jury, find the defendant, Duncan Matthews, not guilty of any charges."

The room exploded after that. Everybody seemed to be talking at once, but I heard a few people saying they'd run a story about the ineptitude of our jury system and how too many crooks like me were avoiding jail time. I even heard a comparison or two the OJ trial. Jeez, I guess the general public can never get enough of this crap.

Courtney and I had at least fifty cameras shoved into our faces as we exited the courtroom. Unsurprisingly, most of the questions were just bullshit.

"How do you feel about being let off the hook this easy?"

"Do you plan on continuing to use such loopholes to avoid consequences?"

"Does your getting off on a technicality make you worried about your other impending criminal trials?"

I know. Such a lovely picture they were painting of me. If I wasn't in the predicament I was in, I would have no issues socking these clowns in the face.

"My client has no comment." Courtney intervened once again.

"But what about-"

"WE SAID NO COMMENT!"

The reporters pretty much let us be after that outburst. We made it to Courtney's car without further incident. (Except for those stupid fucking cameras...)

Once we departed from the swamp of reporters, Courtney turned to me. "Ok, our first trial is down, and the next one is in two weeks time. Do you have any questions?"

"Yeah. Can I see Gwen now?"

"No, you cannot! It's Section 1, Paragraph 1 of our new relationship contract. When we are in a romantic relationship, you are forbidden, in any circumstance, from seeing Gwen!"

"It was worth a shot, I guess."

I sighed. It was going to be a long two weeks.

"What are we gonna be doing in that time anyway?" I finally asked.

She gave me a toothy grin. "That, Dunky, is a matter we shall discuss as soon as we get home."

I was starting to have a really bad feeling about said discussion.

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**Lol... lawyers. Again, my knowledge of our legal system is pretty basic, and I have no idea if anything here would actually be accurate. I hope it is, but feel free to point it out if it isn't. I want this story to be as accurate as possible. Again, I apologize for the long wait, and while I make _absolutley_ no promises, I hope that I can get another chapter or two up during holiday break. As always, suggestions are always welcomed, and please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, I guess first off I should say Happy New Year's Day to all my fellow FanFictioners! 2012 is officially in the books, and I for one am looking forward to a great 2013! What better way to christen the new year than a new chapter? The moment you've all been waiting for... chapter 4 everybody!**

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After we finally got back from the courthouse, it was about eight at night. Courtney decided to "let me go" for a while because she had to review the details for the other trial coming up.

Despite the fact I really hadn't done anything all day, the stress of everything that had just happened to me over the last couple of days had completely taxed me. I mean, I had a full-blown headache going on, my eyelids felt heavy, my body was totally devoid of any energy... to put it simply, I felt like shit.

With Courtney only having one bedroom, I was relegated to sleeping on the couch. Despite what that implied, it wasn't that bad. It was a pretty comfy couch, and it was right next to the TV, so I had at least some form of entertainment.

I plopped down on the couch and started flipping through the channels, but I didn't exactly like most of what I saw.

"Duncan Matthews, a former contestant of the Total Drama series..."

Click.

"... a convicted felon with multiple arrests by the age of sixteen..."

Click.

"... was declared not guilty on all counts in the first of two postponed trials. Debate ensues..."

Click.

"... on whether the clause used to exonerate him is legitimate. As for his upcoming trial..."

Seriously? With all the problems in the world right now, they have nothing else to cover? I wasn't even that pissed about the mere fact they were covering me (hey, news is news), but the way they were portraying it all really irked me. I mean, I'll admit I've had my fair share of problems, probably more than most people, but I hadn't committed a crime in years. Ok, I still get into fights sometimes, but it's not like I'm just picking fights for the hell of it. (That's the dude in cell 6.) If I'm throwing punches at someone, then that jackass deserves it.

Yet station after station seemed to keep pounding and pounding the same fucking message to people; that I was a menace to society and that I needed to be behind bars. All of this was reignited by a traffic ticket, I remind you! Maybe it is the mohawk...

After learning that Courtney was kind enough to block ESPN for me, I finally found my way to one of them entertainment channels.

Thankfully, they were showing something about the new cast instead. Apparently the season had just ended, and some guy who Doris could probably beat up actually ended up winning. Against an insane athlete, too! Granted, the challenge was to build a battle suit, and the athlete looked _painfully _stupid, but still. That's an outcome I didn't see coming.

Some redhead and a skinny tan dude were the new season's power couple. The guy also had something where he'd randomly change personalities or some weird shit like that. Gotta give props to the girl there. That's commitment right there. But then this Jersey girl is in love with one of the dude's personalities, so she keeps going after the redhead. That's just awesome. Stupid, but awesome.

The fans also fell head over heels for this creepy psychic girl who reads auras (whatever the hell those are.) And because they apparently have nothing better to do with their time, the fans started insisting that she _had_ to end up with this evil redneck dude who got wrecked by a shark. But all the evidence on the show indicated that she'd end up with this big black guy who was mute. Um... yeah, I don't want to go down this road again. This looks like me, Gwen, and Courtney all over again.

Some gamer managed to land a mega hot billionaire heiress who got mutated because of the island. She's at least 20 feet tall now. And prone to rage outbursts. Yet they were still together. And the money was a complete nonfactor. Like, it had absolutely no role in the decision. None. Yeah, I see nothing wrong with that picture.

There were also rumors surrounding some cadet and some girl who kinda seemed like Eva without the rage issues. That guy isn't gonna be whipped or anything.

"And speaking of Total Drama, our coverage of former winner Duncan continues!"

Great. More coverage. I was just about to change the channel again when I heard, "What does this mean for Gwuncan? We asked Gwen earlier today."

The screen showed Gwen in our apartment with a bunch of microphones and cameras in her face. I felt bad for her. It was my fault that all this was happening. She did nothing to deserve this.

"Gwen, what's your take on your boyfriend returning to his criminal ways?"

"Well, first off, all he did was get a traffic ticket. That could happen to anybody. But his past is his past, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about it catching up to him. It sucks, and it's frustrating, but it was inevitable I guess."

"What are your thoughts on Courtney being his lawyer?" another reporter asked.

"I don't know what to think. She obviously did well, but I really don't know what to make of it. I don't know what to make of any of this. He hasn't contacted me at all. No phone call, no text, no email, nothing. It's frustrating, yeah, given their history, and that he hasn't even offered an explanation yet. I really have no clue what to think."

"Do you think he's cheating on you?" a third reporter asked.

Gwen seemed to hesitate a bit before answering that question. "Umm... I'd like to say no, he's not, end if story... but I don't know. He could very well be cheating on me. He's given literally no explanation for his decision. I can't give you a definite answer, but it's certainly a possibility. I don't know."

After that they cut back to the anchors, but I'd already seen enough. I was beyond pissed at this point. I turned off the TV angrily and went straight to Courtney's bedroom. I pounded the door so hard that the whole building probably heard me.

The door opened almost immediately. "What, Duncan?"

"Talk. Now." I demanded. I wasn't yelling, but I don't think I've ever used a more scathing tone in my life.

"Duncan, what..."

"Don't give me that crap!" I cut her off. "Why are you doing this? This whole thing is fake! I don't care how many clauses you put in that contract..."

"...Ninety-four."

"Whatever! This isn't a real relationship, and you know it! My heart's not in it. My heart's with Gwen. Keep up this charade, fine, my hands are tied. But why are you forcing this? Why can't I speak to Gwen?"

Courtney gave me a smirk that could rival my own.

"Really, Duncan?" she finally answered. "Really? I call you a Neanderthal, but you're smart. You should've figured this out."

I gave her a confused look. She gave me another smirk. "Ok, fine. I'll spell it out for you. You hurt me more than anything. You ditched me for months and left me all alone on that crappy plane full of people that hated me. And then as soon as you came back, you cheated on me with the one person that didn't. And you didn't even apologize! You treated me like dirt! You kicked me when I was down, and I know you didn't regret it. And I had no way to make you regret. There was no way to make you feel the pain that I felt!"

Oddly enough, she wasn't yelling. Throughout the whole rant, she was as level as I'd ever seen her. There was a condescending tone, obviously, but no signs of anger. She seemed even more confident than usual. I had a bad feeling that she was just getting to the good part.

She pulled out her PDA. I'm aware this device is outdated, so mock it if you will, but I've found that with consistent updating, this ancient device still works as well as any smartphone. And it's significantly cheaper, too."

If I was clueless before, I was braindead at that point. What the hell did her PDA have to do with anything?

"Anyway, this thing can still stream news as quick as the rest of them. So imagine what was racing through my mind when I saw your name pop up on my screen saying that you were getting arrested."

Ok, this was leading to something...

You hurt me because you took away the love of my life and one of my closest friends in one fell swoop. That's how you hurt me..."

Her eyes drilled into mine.

"So that's how I intended to hurt you. And judging from your reaction, from Gwen's reaction, I think it's safe to say I've done a pretty good job.

"So what about when this is over? You can't keep me here forever. At some point, when the trial's over, I'm going to see Gwen again, and then I can explain everything."

Yet another smirk. "You wish it were that simple. But it isn't. You have absolutely no leverage right now. Zero. One false move, and I walk, at which point you're putting a very, very difficult case in the hands of a public defense lawyer. Good luck with that."

She was just toying with me at this point. As much as I hated to admit it, she had complete and total control. And she was reveling in it.

"Thus, I'm going to offer you a proposition that, like or not, you can't possibly refuse. Say yes, and I'm still your lawyer, you'll win the case, and you can see Gwen again. Granted, she may or may not want to see you after this, but I won't deny you the opportunity. Say no, and you'll spend twenty years in prison, and you'll be free at forty years young and without future prospects."

Yeah, remember that bad feeling? It was still there. And I still felt that it was about to get even worse. But like she said, I had no leverage. I couldn't say no.

"Ok, fine. What's the proposition?"

The smirk she gave me then probably topped me and Gwen's combined. "Well, Gwen is rather concerned about us being alone. Well, those worries will soon be realized. We're sealing the deal tonight, and the world will know tomorrow."

As I thought this over, something clicked. "Wait... sealing the deal... you're not implying?"

"I am. Sex is the ultimate symbol of commitment. You're telling the world about said commitment tomorrow. I'm sure Gwen will understand. Choose wisely."

Yep... that bad feeling was there, all right.

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**I told you all, Courtney would be evil in this fic! In case any of you are concerned, there will be no lemons in this fic because I want to keep it rated T. My holiday break actually extends all the way until the 8th, so I may or may not get another chapter in by then, but I'll at least have time to work on it. Once again, Happy New Year to you all, suggestions are always welcomed, and please review!**


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